Beth felt like she stepped into another world as she opened the heavy wooden door of the tattoo parlor, a small bell announcing her arrival. She was immediately greeted by a rich spicy smell of cedar wood mixed in with hints of disinfectant. French music played in surround sound. Colorful images covered every inch of wall space. Roses, crosses, tribal symbols, pinup girls, skulls, koi fish, cartoon characters, dragons, portraits.

"Be right there," a voice called from somewhere in the back.

"No problem," Beth replied to the invisible man, grateful to have a minute anyway.

Here she was, in Montreal for spring break, about to graduate college, but instead of having the time of her life, her trip was being destroyed by disappointment, being ruined by Dean. She should have known, saw this all coming, when she had to beg Dean to take the trip with her. He couldn't understand why it was so important to her. Why having just a few days to herself would mean so much. No worrying about Annie, though Ruby promised she'd check in on her. No worrying about if her mom was having a bad spell, holed up in her bedroom. No nagging from Judith about her and Dean getting engaged and how to be a supportive wife. No worrying about the second overdue notice from the bank.

Beth worked extra shifts at Dairy Queen, took extra babysitting jobs and scraped together every penny she had to afford it. Montreal was perfect. Close enough to drive so they didn't have to pay for flights, but it would still feel like being in Europe, with the added thrill of ordering a drink without worrying about fake IDs. She planned every detail meticulously, but forgot to account for Dean's selfishness. Ever since they arrived he'd battled against all her plans, flirted with every female, gave his attention to everyone and everything but her. Your being ridiculous, he kept saying when she confronted him. She stormed out of their hotel room before she totally lost it, before she reacted to her instinct to end things with him.

Beth rubbed her arms, soothed herself, as she scanned the walls, appreciating the artistry of each drawing even if they weren't her personal style, pausing when she reached the rows of Chinese symbols. She hadn't planned on getting a tattoo, never really thought about them one way or another. She noticed them on people who came through the Dairy Queen, but never considered one for herself. Ruby would try to talk her out of it, giving her a dramatic eye roll along with her reason not to do it, probably about how it will look in fifty years. Besides, Dean hated tattoos and he'd flip out. But after their fight, as she walked through the cobblestone streets with tears streaming down her face, the red neon sign caught her eye, drew her into the shop. Maybe this was exactly was she needed. Something truly just for herself. A small act of rebellion on her skin. A permanent reminder that Dean did not control her. No one did.

The bell clanged as the door opened behind her. Despite wearing all black as if wanting to blend into the shadows, there was something vibrant about the guy who walked in, his confidence and swagger immediately dominating the room. He nodded to Beth as he walked by, giving her the chance to notice the sharp angles of his face, the deep brown of his eyes. He looked so different than anyone else she knew. Beth stopped herself from staring and turned back to the drawings on the wall.

"Yo," he called into the back, tapping his hands against the countertop.

"Be right there," the same voice repeated his earlier announcement.

Rio turned to the girl in the shop with him, tilting his head in observation. She looked like the rest of the college kids flooding the streets like they did every March, wholesome and all-American with her long blonde hair, big blue eyes. But there was also something mysterious about her, something about the way she stood tall but guarded. And she looked sad, like she'd been crying. She didn't quite fit in with everyone else who was reveling in a carefree weekend.

Rio could relate. His world was so different from spring breakers, and so was the reason he was in Montreal. While some people were making decisions about what college to attend and what kind of career to pursue, he was building his future on a parallel path. The kind of path that brought him and Mick across the border for a pick up, heavy black duffel bags filled with drugs already stashed in their trunk. They made these trips often so they knew the best route to take to avoid traffic, how to avoid suspicion at customs, how the right amount of red pepper confused the scent dogs. Just like college students, Rio was building his skills, learning new things, gaining new experiences. Rio didn't mind these trips, but he couldn't wait until he was the one giving orders, until he had a a crew of his own. His time was coming and he'd be ready when it did, especially with Mick by his side.

When their childhood dreams of being famous athletes, basketball for Rio, football for Mick, hit against the reality of their circumstances they turned to where they found opportunity. Gangs. Rio moved through the ranks quickly, and he brought Mick with him every step of the way. They were both going to be initiated soon which meant being jumped in by a beating from all the gang members. And having to kill someone. Rio saw a lot of people get shot, saw some of them die. Witnessing the life drain out of someone, being the reason it happened, still made his stomach churn and luckily he always managed to throw up in private. But it was part of the job, just business.You gotta get rid of your rotten eggs, his boss was always saying.

So Rio conditioned himself to it, reminded himself that everything he did allowed him to take care of his family. Besides, it wasn't all serious. There were fun moments too. Like now, since he and Mick didn't need to be back for a couple of days, they decided to take a side trip into the historic part of Montreal. Mick wanted to add on to the roses on the top of his hands and they knew the owner at this tattoo parlor from their previous trips into the city.

Rio had a couple of tattoos already. Four solid black bars on the back of his biceps, a lion on his shoulder. Each of them had meaning but his next one would be his most important. Once they were initiated they were allowed, and required, to get a bird tattoo to show their membership, their allegiance. Mick was planning a small hummingbird under his eye, but Rio had something more elaborate planned. He already had a sketch of an owl that he worked on for hours. No shading, no color, just crisp clean lines of a wide wingspan covering his neck. Most people only tattooed their neck after every inch of their torso was covered but Rio was never one for subtlety and never minded making a statement.

"What symbol you gonna get?" He asked the girl staring at the bold lettering, wondering what kind of statement she was looking to make.

"This one." Beth pointed to a symbol that looked like the number three and the letters J and K mixed together. "Here."

Beth's stomach flipped as his eyes trailed slowly down her body to where she'd pointed at her hip, then back up, suddenly flustered by the intensity of his attention on her.

"You gotta be careful with those. Make sure it's not an insult or curse word."

"It means strong," Beth said defiantly. She was basing this off the caption on the drawing, she didn't actually know, but she refused to let this stranger make her feel foolish.

"Yeah?" Rio arched an eyebrow at the hint of sass in her response. He was good at reading people and even though there was a sweetness about this girl, he could sense her backbone, why she'd be attracted to symbol of strength.

"He doesn't usually do walk-ins," Rio said, nodding to the back. "Appointment only."

"Oh. I had no idea. I hadn't planned this so…" Beth let her sentence fade with disappointment. Of course this wouldn't work out for her. Nothing was going her way. Why would this be an exception.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it for you." Rio smiled and disappeared behind the counter.

When the owner finally came out, the mystery man was gone. The owner was kind, calmed her nerves about getting her first tattoo and did excellent work. My boy told me to take good care of you, he said.

Beth smiled at her reflection in the mirror when it was done, turning left and right to take in all the angles. The tattoo was small but it was something just for her. Finally.

**********20 Years Later**********

Rio was used to the unexpected. Surprises went hand in hand with his line of work, encountering people from all walks of life, with all kinds of motivations and personalities. With time, he learned how to let things play out before overreacting, to not let curveballs slip him up.

So when Beth told him she didn't have his cut with her, when she offered to make him a sandwich, when she led him to her bedroom, he rolled with it. When she kissed him, and he kissed her back, even that wasn't a total surprise. Every inch, every breath, every second between them seemed to be simmering to this moment, and finally they were on the same page. He wanted what she wanted.

His first true moment of surprise came when he was trailing her body with kisses, licking and nibbling a path from her lips to her toes. But he stopped at the unexpected tattoo on her hip, a small Chinese symbol. Rio smiled, traced the lines of it with a finger, kissed it. A foggy memory suddenly flashed in his mind. A trip, a late night in a tattoo shop, a sweet girl. But it disappeared in a blink, the dots never connecting. Beth squirming and whimpering underneath him instantly pulled him back to the present, back to savoring the most fascinating woman he'd ever met.